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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the creation of a county court at law in Bosque County |
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and the composition of the Bosque, Comanche, and Hamilton Counties |
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juvenile board. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Sections 25.0201 and 25.0202 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.0201. BOSQUE COUNTY. Bosque County has one |
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statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Bosque County. |
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Sec. 25.0202. BOSQUE COUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) In |
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addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other |
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law, a county court at law in Bosque County has concurrent |
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jurisdiction with the district court in: |
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(1) family law cases and proceedings; |
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(2) civil cases in which the matter in controversy |
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exceeds $500 but does not exceed $100,000, excluding interest, |
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court costs, and attorney's fees; and |
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(3) contested probate matters under Section 5(b), |
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Texas Probate Code. |
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(b) The County Court at Law of Bosque County has primary |
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jurisdiction over juvenile matters. |
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(c) A county court at law has the same terms of court as the |
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County Court of Bosque County. |
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(d) The judge of a county court at law may not engage in the |
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private practice of law and must meet the qualifications |
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established by Section 25.0014. |
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(e) The judge of a county court at law shall be paid as |
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provided by Section 25.0005. The judge's salary shall be paid out |
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of the county treasury on order of the commissioners court. |
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Notwithstanding any other law, the judge is entitled to necessary |
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office and operational expenses, including administrative and |
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clerical personnel, on the approval of the commissioners court. |
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Administrative and clerical personnel to which a judge is entitled |
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on approval under this subsection includes a court coordinator, |
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court reporter, and bailiff. |
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(f) If a family law case or proceeding is tried before a |
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jury, the jury shall be composed of 12 members. In all other cases, |
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except as otherwise required by law, the jury shall be composed of |
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six members. |
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(g) Jurors regularly impaneled for a week by the district |
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court may, on request of the county judge or the judge of a county |
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court at law, be made available and shall serve for the week in the |
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county court or the county court at law. |
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SECTION 2. Section 152.0241(a), Human Resources Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Bosque County is included in the Bosque, Comanche, and |
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Hamilton counties juvenile board. The juvenile board is composed |
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of: |
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(1) the county judge in Bosque County; |
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(2) the county judge in Comanche County; |
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(3) the county judge in Hamilton County; [and] |
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(4) the 220th Judicial District judge; and |
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(5) the judge of the County Court at Law in Bosque |
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County. |
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SECTION 3. The County Court at Law of Bosque County is |
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created October 1, 2009. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect October 1, 2009. |